ABOUT FIRST READ

First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC News Political Reporter



Rudy Balking At A Libby Pardon?

Posted: Thursday, July 05, 2007 8:35 PM by Chuck Todd

From NBC's Carrie Dann
After an event in Daytona Beach today, Rudy Giuliani was asked to comment on the president's commutation of Scooter Libby's sentence.  Giuliani repeated that the president made "the right decision" - the same sentiment he'd voiced earlier this week in a paper statement.  He said that "commutation was actually the right balance" to counter the "blatantly excessive" 30 month sentence issued by the court in June. But when pressed as to whether Bush should grant a full pardon, however, the mayor balked. "I don't know the case in enough depth to tell you whether that's the right thing to do or not," he said, adding that he will be interested to see how the appellate court rules.

Of interest: Giuliani pointed to his comments on the same subject during CNN's GOP debate on 6/5.  During that debate, which took place on the day that Libby's sentence was handed down, Giuliani did not definitively answer "yes" when asked if Libby should be pardoned, but he did not lean too far away from the possibility either.   "I think what the judge did today argues more in favor of a pardon," he told Wolf Blitzer, "because this is excessive punishment."

MAIN PAGE

Email this EMAIL THIS

Comments

Libby perjured himself before a grand jury.  He is a veteran Washington DC politician and lawyer.  He new the consequences of perjury.  He had ample access to legal advice before committing perjury.  The only logical explanation for Libby perjuring himself was that the consequences of the lie were less than the consequences of the truth.  Had he not lied, the special prosecutor might have been able to prove that either Cheney, Rove, or even Bush committed a crime - like falsifying evidence to start a war.  Actually, that is treason, not just a crime.  Because he lied, the real perps walk.  And Rudy, sucking up to the neocon vote, supports perjury, and possibly treason.
Scooter Libby's commutation? I can't see why this is such a big deal. What Bush should've done was give him a pardon. The condemnation from the left would have come either way.
Let's all get this straight---Judge Walton was using Bush's own Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which calls for 30-45 months for perjury and obstruction of justice.  Walton's "excessive" sentence was actually on the light side of DOJ's sentencing guidelines. The bastard would've gotten off lightly in any case, even if the other bastard hadn't commuted his sentence.
Funny how the extreme right, those self proclaimed "patriots", don't even blink an eye at the fact that a spy was ousted. A person who was putting her life on the line to keep our nation safe. That's a true patriot, one who would not receive any medals, any recognition from our country for the service to our nation. But again, many of the extreme right so called patriots wouldn't know because they confuse service to the nation with profit for themselves.
"I can't see why this is such a big deal. What Bush should've done was give him a pardon."  Why do I feel like people that write things like this are part of the 20% of Americans that think the sun revolves around the earth?  http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/30/science/30profile.html?ex=1183780800&en=e3760aa7d1b5022a&ei=5070
Well Juliani can't make 35% of the republican talk radio legion angry with him.....just speak out of both sides of the mouth.
  Yeah, Mark just look over the crime because he is from your party. It is sad Mark that you have one law of justice for us little folks and a second one for all Bush's croonies. I am so glad you have no problem with people breaking the law. It is nice to see someone that gets it. Washington republicans are above the law and are allowed to do anything they want, when they want. They know they will get pardoned by Bush, and the condemnation from the left would have come either way. So Mark, this the type of government you want. It reminds me a lot of a government in Germany earlier this century where the people put the party above the country. The people from the party are the ones that enforced the laws and rules on the other people. Just like the republican party is doing now.
I suppose since republicans are in office now it is OK with you Mark.  See Mark has no problem with the government outing a CIA agent that was active and covert, as long as the republican party is behind it. Republicans can break the law and pardon themselves and Mark is cool with it. When a democrat comes in office you will have no problem when they break the law and start going after religious freaks. Religious freaks and blind followers like  Mark scare me more than any terrorist can. They would allow this country to be taken over like NAZI germany, as long as they are republicans. The party is more important than the country.
  Yeah, Mark just look over the crime because he is from your party. It is sad Mark that you have one law of justice for us little folks and a second one for all Bush's croonies. I am so glad you have no problem with people breaking the law. It is nice to see someone that gets it. Washington republicans are above the law and are allowed to do anything they want, when they want. They know they will get pardoned by Bush, and the condemnation from the left would have come either way. So Mark, this the type of government you want. It reminds me a lot of a government in Germany earlier this century where the people put the party above the country. The people from the party are the ones that enforced the laws and rules on the other people. Just like the republican party is doing now.
I suppose since republicans are in office now it is OK with you Mark.  See Mark has no problem with the government outing a CIA agent that was active and covert, as long as the republican party is behind it. Republicans can break the law and pardon themselves and Mark is cool with it. When a democrat comes in office you will have no problem when they break the law and start going after religious freaks. Religious freaks and blind followers like  Mark scare me more than any terrorist can. They would allow this country to be taken over like NAZI germany, as long as they are republicans. The party is more important than the country.
I really wish that everyone would stay on the mark.  For once and for all, Armitage was the leaker who by the way, was never prosecuted, not Libby.  That was established at his trial.  Libby was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice, not outing a CIA operative.  Make your arguments for or against from the real facts.  My only question concerning the whole affair is, when is Fitzgerald going to finally do the job of prsecuting the person who outed Ms. Plame?
Mark Daubman: Bush didn't give an outright pardon to Libby because, if he had, that would have meant that Congress could have subpeonead him to testify about the outing of a covert CIA asset by the Office of the Vice President (that most likely went up to the Oval Office itself) and Libby could not have invoked his 5th ammendment privelages.  Bush will give Libby the pardon on his last day in office.  This way, Libby never has to serve a day of jail but doesn't become a political liability for the President.  This, of course, assumes that the Democrats don't get their act togeather and impeach Cheney and Bush before his term expires.
Florida, The people who outted Valerie Plame: Armitage, Rove, Ari Fleicher, and Libby are not going to be prosecuted. The law states its only a crime to out an agent if it can be proved the leaker knew the agent was undercover. Cheney's men can claim, which may or may not be true, that they didn't know she was covert and that her outting would have such grave consequences for the agency. I think in the court of public opinion, however, the Bush/Cheney administration has been convicted of promoting the invasion of Iraq on trumped up intelligence, using journalists to spread misinformation, and smearing an administration critic instead confronting his allegations in the public arena.
Amy (1:11) is right on the money with an accurate and succinct characterization of the true sleaziness of what this is all about and how bush and them operate.  Thank you, Ma'am.
As the 2008 elections get much closer we will see an abundant of outings performed by the republicans that see their elections slipping away.Of course Bush and Cheney will be able to pay off these people with their bloody Iraq oil money.Get your popcorn ready for the really big show.
Once again, not to harp on the point, quit piling the subject up with everything else.  Yes, you can sit there and play seven stops to Kevin Bacon but that all just clouds the issue.  If you are going to discuss the issues concerning Libby's conviction and subseqent commuting of his jail sentence not pardoning him of his crime, the get the facts straight and stay on the mark.  Condemn President Bush, Vice-president Cheney, Rove, etc. when it is germain to the topic that is being discussed.  This is why these blogs so often go off the mark and end up being verbal clashes between unswerving beliefs lead by the far right and left.  P.S.  I'm sure I'm now going to receive a comment from someone to effect of "if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen".  I'll just see it as what it is.  someone just looking to start and argument rather than trying to make a valid point.
Rudy could balk himself out of contention if he isn't careful. The moron community only represents about thirteen percent of the voting population now. Coincidentally, that is the same percentage of the population who are hard core Bush supporters. Eh! What are the odds?
Well, since Scooter was Cheney's chief of staff and part of the Bush administration, I do not see how you cannot talk about the two of them when you bring up Libby's name.Referring to the 3:03 post.
Florida Independent,
Facts:
1)Bush said in a speech that Saddam was buying yellowcake from Niger. This was part of his case for invading Iraq.
2)Wilson wrote an OpEd saying he had investigated this claim and found it was false.
3)Armitage, Rove, Fleicher and Libby all imparted the fact that Wilson's wife worked at the CIA to reporters...I don't know why.
4) Novak was the first to print this information.
4)Plame was in fact covert and publishing her name blew her cover.
5)The head of the CIA asked Prosecuter Fitzgerald (a Republican)to investigate the leak. Tenet didn't know the name was leaked by four top administration staffers.
6)Fitzgerald interviewed journalists. Miller went to jail to avoid saying who told her Plame was in CIA.
7)Fitzgerald interviewed Rove, Armitage, and Fleicher. They admitted leaking the name but said they didn't know it was a secret.
8)Libby claimed he didn't leak the name. Libby is Cheney's chief aide.
9)Fitzgerald proved in a court of law that Libby did leak the name. Fitzgerald says Libby's statements hindered his investigation.
10) Republican judge sentences Libby to 30 months, a sentence within the guidelines for perjury.
11) Bush reduced sentence to a fine. Libby escapes jail time.
12) Valerie Plame is no longer any use to the CIA as an agent. The company where she "worked" is no longer useable as a CIA front.

Draw your own conclusions, everybody.
So GuiLIARni does not know enough about the case to say whether Scooter should be pardoned but yet he knows that the sentence was blatantly excessive?
How FOOL is that?
I don't know why MSNBC and other media outlets waste so much time on Rudy. The guy is going nowhere and has no chance to win the GOP nomination. GOP primary voters are not going to go for his slop once they understand who he really is. I pity the fool who gets stuck following his campaign for the next 6 months, only to see him crash and burn come NH and Iowa.

If Bush is removed - then plan A. is put into place = Cheney becomes President.

What more could you ask for ?


SEND A COMMENT

PLEASE READ: All comments must be approved before appearing in the thread; time and space constraints prevent all comments from appearing. We will only approve comments that are directly related to the blog, use appropriate language and are not attacking the comments of others.

Message (please, no HTML tags. Web addresses will be hyperlinked):

TRACKBACKS

Trackbacks are links to weblogs that reference this post. Like comments, trackbacks do not appear until approved by us. The trackback URL for this post is: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/trackback.aspx?PostID=259551

First Read e-mail alerts


Sign up for First Read alerts
The first place for key political news and analysis

Syndicate This Site

Add First Read to your news reader:
live.com xml
myyahoo msn
bloglines newsgator
google